Reason Selected: We admit that one reason we picked this book was because it is one of the 1001 books that was selected by our 1001 group on Shelfari. Otherwise, it’s very likely we would have picked a book by our favorite Murakami (Book Worm and I are in agreement in our love of Murakami). However, Silence is an appropriate selection as it was written by a Japanese author, covers a real period in Japanese history, and highlights some interesting clashes in ideology between East and West.

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Silence is a novel of historical fiction by Japanese author Shusaku Endo. It is the story of a Jesuit missionary sent to seventeenth century Japan, who endured persecution in the time of Kakure Kirishitan (“Hidden Christians”) that followed the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion.

Written mostly in the form of a letter by its central character, the theme of a silent God who accompanies a believer in adversity was greatly influenced by the Catholic Endo’s experience of religious discrimination in Japan, racism in France and debilitating tuberculosis.

Jen’s Review:
★★★.5
I wasn’t sure I would like this book because of the heavy religious theme (not usually my favorite type of book). I have some strong biases against missionaries. While I recognize that missionaries do some good work, there is something inherent in the of concept of missionaries that screams cultural imperialism — “believe and act like us or you will be condemned to a flaming pit for all eternity.” But, my initial biases toward this book were wrong and I ultimately enjoyed it.

Silence was an interesting book. It’s a fictionalized account of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth century Japan and it follows the story of a Jesuit missionary who covertly entered Japan to seek out his predecessors and provide comfort to the hidden Christians. The novel had some interesting discussions about spirituality and the clash between two very different ideologies representing Eastern and Western religious beliefs. The title refers to the perceived silence of God, who remains quiet while Japanese Christians are persecuted and tortured. The protagonist struggles with is own faith as he sees things unfold in negative ways around him and he questions the existence of God as a result of these experiences. Silence in many forms comes up throughout the book.

The novel is beautifully written and full of symbolism. Silence is worth a read.

Book Worm’s Review:
4 Stars

I loved the writing style and the religious debate between the European missionaries and the Japanese authorities. One of the ideas was that Japanese soil was too different to accept Christianity– a theory the missionaries disputed by claiming the tree has the potential to grow but that its roots are ripped out by those in power.

I also enjoyed the debate the central character has with himself about God’s silence and what acting like a Christian really means in terms of Japan and the situation there.

There are detailed scenes of torture which are difficult to read, but it drives home the historical reality of the times.

I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in the history of Japan.

Rumor has it that Martin Scorsese is directing a movie version of the book staring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Ken Watanabe.

Other recommendations for Japanese Literature:
Japan has produced so many great writers and wonderful literature, that is hard to single out any one person or book. Well known Japanese authors include Haruki Murakami, Kazuo Ishiguro, Banana Yoshimoto, Ryu Murakami, Kenzaburo Oe, Hisashi Inoue, and Miyuki Miyabe.

Some of Jen’s favorites:
While not overly original, I have to go with anything by Murakami. Magical realism at its best! I love his quirky and often ambiguous books. My personal favorite thus far is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. You can read more about him and our recommendations in our featured author post. Other recommendations include: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Ogawa and A Pale View of Hills by Ishiguro.

What a coincidence. I just finished reading Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves. It’s my first Mishima though, so I can’t tell you whether this book is typical Mishima. I did thoroughly enjoy his prose; gentle and clear, descriptive yet readable.

I do know that his magnum opus is a series of four novels called The Sea of Fertility Cycle.

Silence is on my To Read list, since I read John Dougill’s book In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians. Dougill is a British academic who works in Kyoto, and his walk to work takes him past the site where a number of Japanese Christians in Kyoto were martyred. This sparked his interest enough to go on a pilgrimage to find out more. Dougill isn’t a Christian, he’s more interested in Shinto as an expression of harmony with nature, so his exploration is pretty objective.

As for other Japanese authors, Haruki Murakami is my favourite, too, and Wind Up Bird my favourite of his books, although 1Q84 comes a very close second. Mishima is a very clear writer. I liked The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea best. I read the Sea of Fertility Tetralogy this year and found its subject matter difficult. It was written during Mishima’s ultra nationalist period and is quite brutal in a quiet way. Tanizaki is great. My favourite by him is The Makioka Sisters – such a droll book. Sōseki is my second favourite Japanese author, and The Gate my favourite book by him. Sanshiro is also very good and Botchan very funny (read the J Cohn translation for the best experience). Of modern writers, I’m very impressed by Ogawa. The Housekeeper and the Professor is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I also like the police procedural novels by Keigo Higashino. One I read this year was Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. I haven’t read anything else by her, but this book was great. Enjoy exploring!

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Jen’s Rating system

★ Hated it & no redeeming additional qualities noted. Recommend avoiding it.
★★ Disliked it, may have 1 redeeming quality (writing style, novelty, etc).
★★★ Liked it or may have a few interesting qualities.
★★★★ Really liked it & it has at least a couple interesting qualities.
★★★★★ Loved almost everything about it. Only a few, if any, minor limitations noted.

Book Worm’s rating system

★ Bah I really hated this would not even pass this to my worst enemy
★★ I really didn't like this but would consider giving it to my worst enemy for vengeful purposes
★★★ this was an enjoyable way to pass the time not great not horrendous
★★★★ really enjoyed this book there was something about it that made me think
★★★★★ wow I loved this book I am now out recommending it to all my friends, will keep to re read even though I have banned re reads